We started our Odisha excursion with Konark and Chandrabhaga beach. The marvellous architecture of KonarkSun Temple and the solace of Chandrabhaga beach were unparalleled
to any in India. It was a new day and we had planned Puriand Chilika Lakefor today.

We started off for the Chilika Lake as early
morning and day time is the best time to spot some wild aquatic life. Chilika Lake is the largest brackish water
lagoon of India and second largest in the world. It is one of its kind rare
ecosystem which is home to a lot of endangered species. It is also winter home
to the migratory birds.

The main attraction of the lake is the presence of Irrawaddy Dolphins. These are very rare
(read critically endangered) species of dolphins found only in 8 different
places in South East Asia only.All
these facts added even more enthusiasm and anxiety to our spirits.

The Fact board at Chilika Lake

Site Board at Chilika Lake

We started from Puri, had our breakfast on the way
on some local shops trying some local cuisine. We reached Sipakuda in an hour (approx. 50 kms from Puri). It is from where we
can hire a boat to cruise in the Chilika Lake. There are 2-3 more places which
provide tourists with the boating facility, Satpada being the other and more popular one. We hired full boat for three of us as we wanted full leisure and comfort.
If you are saving on money then you can also go for the shared boats. Soon we
entered the waters of Chilika!

Entering the chilika waters

Anchor in Boat

The circle of Chilika Lake from Sipakuda is
planned in such a way that the boatman takes us to the Dolphin viewpoint, if we have our luck then we sight a few
dolphins and then we are taken to Rajhans
island, known for red crabs and
then to the Sea mouth, the point where
Chilika Lake meets the sea. We sighted a lot of boats with fishermen on them. Fishing
is primary means of occupation here in Odisha.

As we moved further, we sighted
some Flamingos and migratory birds flying. I was excited to say the least. I had come here for some bird as well as dolphin watching (later) and I was rewarded with the same. My
anxiety levels were increasing as we were moving towards the Dolphin view
point.

Fisherman at chilika lake

Fisherman with net

Fisherman in boat

Flamingo in chilika bird sanctuary

As we reached the Dolphin viewpoint, our boatman did
mention to us that with the time dolphin sightings have reduced as the number
of people visiting this places has increased and hence the pollution in lake ,
and dolphins have started to migrate to other places. I sometimes wonder why we have made life miserable for everyone on
this planet just for our own greed in one way or the other. Well, coping up
with that thought we heard some voices (from other boats) shouting “Dolphin, Dolphin!!”. We turned and looked
in the direction of voice and hand movements by others. Just keep your eyes and
ears open and you'll be rewarded for what you have come for.

Fortunately we
were able to see some dolphins in a span of 15-20 mins. It was difficult to capture
a pic of them as you never know from which direction a dolphin might come up,
that too for 2-3 seconds. We felt extremely
lucky to have watched them! Ultimate feeling it was.

I am attaching a pic from Internet (Source) to give you an idea how Irrawaddy dolphins look.

Dolphin spot point

Irrawaddy Dolphins at Chilika lake

M Jagger Dolphin

Scoop-fin with juvenile

After this we headed towards the Rajhans Island and Sea mouth. Rajhans Island
is said to be the home to a large numbers of red crabs. The crabs are big in
size but are equally scared of the humans and run into their holes if you
approach them. We walked a few metres and saw a few dolphins jumping out of
water (Yes, the kind of one you saw in movies).

We once again had our encounter with the Bay of Bengal at the sea mouth. The
water was the cleanest I have ever seen in my life. Golden sand and blue water!
It was a picture perfect beach that one can imagine in his/her dream vacations.
We also saw some turtles lying dead on the beach.

Red crabs at Rajhans island

Beach at Rajhans Island

Encounter with Bay of Bengal

Dead turtles at sea beach

Unfortunately we didn't have much time to stay
there and our boatman started yelling at us to move back. But come what may visiting
Chilika Lake is right on top of my experience of coastal regions in India.

The dolphins,
the flamingos, the cleanest and tranquil beach this place has everything for a
perfect one day outing. We returned with a bag full of memories.

Migratory birds at Chilika Lake

Flamingos in Chilika Lake

On the
remaining half day we went through the local Puri sightseeing viz Jagannath
puri temple, puri beach, gundicha temple etc. which we will cover in the next
article. See you guys soon!